Captain Mark Phillips has been selected as the cross-country course designer for Britain’s home eventing European Championships at Blenheim from 18 to 21 September. Mark, a four-time Badminton winner and Olympic gold medallist, has designed courses around the world and will be assisted by long-standing Blenheim course-designer David Evans.
Mark Phillips has been focusing more on an advisory role in recent years, helping to develop the next generation of course designers. He is honored to be designing the cross-country course for this year’s Agria FEI Eventing European Championships at Blenheim and is also assisting the FEI in their efforts to support younger designers. The last time Blenheim hosted the Europeans in 2005, Mark’s daughter Zara Tindall won individual and team gold medals.
stable Events is organizing the horse trials for the third year, with the highlight being the hosting of the Europeans. The regular CCI4-L class will be taking a year off to accommodate the Europeans, while the CCI4-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses will proceed as usual. The FEI rules limit the number of riders and horses a host country can field based on the number of teams entered, with the maximum being two individuals per country in addition to the team if seven or more teams are entered. Any changes to these rules would require approval by the FEI General Assembly.
